I did a MyHeritage DNA test, and the results were not what I expected!
‘For Book Clubs & Educators’ Page & Discussion of ‘Cockatoo Tears’
Hello everyone, I hope the summer has been treating you well! I have two announcements: By Light of Hidden Candles Discussion Guide & ‘For Book Clubs & Educators’ Page I mentioned recently that my publisher and I were developing a discussion guide for book clubs reading By Light of Hidden Candles. I’m pleased to announce that […]
Blog Posts & Hidden Candles Discussion Guide
Hey there! I have a few things to share with you: Guest Post on Researching a Novel Last week, fellow author Hannah Ross hosted a guest post from me on her blog, Flight of Fantasy: How to Research Your Novel from the Comfort of Your Home, with Daniella Levy. Did you know that I did […]
The Lost Couscous Chapters (Deleted Scenes)
Today I’d like to share a few sections that didn’t make the final cut in By Light of Hidden Candles. Food and drink are an important symbol in the book, signifying both heritage and tradition (as with traditional foods mentioned and the wine Abraham provides to the conversos), and nurturing and connection (the porridge Tomás cooks […]
Hidden Candles Selected as #RBRT Award Finalist & Other Exciting News!
Greetings, my lovely friends! I have a few exciting things to tell you: #RBRT Award Nomination! By Light of Hidden Candles received positive reviews from two reviewers on Rosie’s Book Review Team (Barb Taub and Olga Núñez Miret), and it was just selected as a finalist for the RBRT Awards in the category of Romance! […]
The Real-Life Experiences that Influenced By Light of Hidden Candles
One of the questions I was asked during the FB Live session a few weeks ago was, “How much of the book is autobiographical?” Because of the time constraints, I answered broadly: “Ahhh… this is a complicated question to ask a fiction writer, because, you know… what does autobiographical mean? None of the… well, most of the […]
Deciphering Secrets & the Revealing Cooperation & Conflict Project
It is a blessing to be a historical fiction writer in our day and age. I took advantage of many online resources to help me with my research: I toured the streets of Granada and Madrid with Google Street View; I took a drive from Madrid to Toledo with a YouTube dash cam video (why […]
Granada, Spain: Birthplace of Manuel Aguilar from By Light of Hidden Candles
One of the main characters of By Light of Hidden Candles, Manuel Aguilar, was born in Granada to a long line of granadinos; he has evidence that his father’s family has been living there since at least the 16th century. A (Very) Brief History of Granada Granada’s history is deeply intertwined with that of the […]
Videos from the FB Live By Light of Hidden Candles Virtual Launch Party
Hey guys! Thanks so much to all of you who participated in the Facebook Live launch party yesterday! Those of you who missed it can watch either the full, unedited 30-minute session, or a 5-minute “highlight reel” below. I read excerpts from By Light of Hidden Candles and talked about the topics of interfaith friendships and […]
The Official By Light of Hidden Candles Playlist
Before I begin: don’t forget that I’m making a complete fool of myself hosting a Facebook Live launch event today–9pm Israel time (3pm EST; we just changed our clocks, so it’s 6 hours’ difference instead of 7)! Make sure to “like” and follow my author page on Facebook to receive a notification when I go […]
